From Mariupol to Russia: a testimony of a witness to the voluntary-compulsory evacuation

Several thousand Mariupolians were transferred by invaders to the Russian Federation. They are reported to be sent to filtration camps, where invaders check their mobile phones and documents. Everybody had to sign a consent to “acceptance of temporary shelter” for two years and hand over their Ukrainian passports. A number of refugees were sent to different Russian cities afterwards.   

The deportation of Mariupolians was reported by the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko and the mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boychenko, according to the facebook page of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. CrimeaSOS managed to find out details from a witness, a Ukrainian woman Olga who left Mariupol with her daughter. Her friend told us her story.    

 No water or food until we sign the papers – Olga 

Olga and her daughter experienced all the horrors of staying in a shelled city. Olga managed to arrange it with an acquaintance of hers, who took them to Mangush, Donetsk region.   

 The woman with her child was spotted by invaders, who sent her to a crossing point. They were provided with food and water there. Later, they were sent in an unknown direction together with other “refugees”. They said they were going to Rostov, but then it turned out that they were heading for a migration camp in Taganrog.  

 “I contacted an acquaintance of mine in Russia. The local news informed about “suicide bombers” from Mariupol and disguised “Azov soldiers” to be brought into their town. They were looked upon correspondingly.” – shares Anna, a friend of Olga.  

Upon arrival, everybody was roughly interrogated, their mobile phones and correspondence were checked. Olga said that the people were exhausted, they didn’t have any means of communication and were not aware of recent news. Russians distributed food and water only after the people had signed the papers, namely applications for a temporary shelter in the Russian Federation.

 Olga did not sign such an application. She managed to contact her relatives and went to their place.  

“She cannot give any more details, because this is dangerous. People around her do not understand what is going on in Ukraine and support Putin. That’s terrible. ” – says Anna.

Forced displacement – legal aspect

CrimeaSOS legal officers found out details about rights of refugees coming from Ukraine and the occupied territories of Donbas.  

   “In fact, if a person does not have relatives in Russia, s/he is sent to remote regions for settlement. And indeed, according to a new refugee procedure Ukrainian passports are taken away” – the legal officers say.

 CrimeaSOS analyst Yevheniy Yaroshenko notes that article 49 of the Geneva Convention allows deportation or displacement of civilian population living in the occupied territories only in two cases : 1) if it is needed to ensure the safety of civilian population ; 2) if it is demanded by   “imperative military reasons”.

“Russia’s actions can hardly be qualified as evacuation of civilian population in Mariupol. Thus, the aggressor state refused to ensure a humanitarian corridor for local citizens to be evacuated to Zaporizhzhia and shot at those who tried to get out of this hell by their own cars. This is why in the case of Mariupol it can be argued that Russia committed a war crime mentioned in article 8 (2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Additionally, the facts mentioned in the present overview show that Russia violated a number of human rights : the right to freedom of movement, the right to respect for private and family life, the right to freedom of expression, and in the case of non-provision of food and water, the right to freedom from ill-treatment” – comments Yevheniy.

 Besides Mariupol, people are being taken out from other occupied cities. According to the latest information provided by local citizens, Russian military men are drafting lists of civilian population to be “evacuated” to Lgov (Kursk region of the RF). Having cut off Chernihiv from the capital, rashists turned its citizens into hostages.   

 Human rights defender Pavlo Lysianskiy has shared pieces of advice on Hromadske Radio for Ukrainians who found themselves in similar situations :

1. To avoid forced “evacuation” tell invaders you are seriously ill (for example, you suffer from pneumonia) and may die during the trip.
2. Try to refuse the “evacuation” order and offer “your help on the ground” instead. You are not obliged to keep your promise later, but you will be left in peace.    
3. If you or your family members were taken to Russia, try to reach Belarus and from there, any other European country.
4. If possible, do not sign any documents offered by invaders. 

 Additionally, you can contact the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and document the case via :  

• email: ohchr-hrmmu@un.org;
• Facebook messenger https://www.facebook.com/UNHumanRightsUkraine 
• Telegram: ohchr_hrmmu and Viber  +380503746708  (only messages, calls are disabled). 

This article was translated by CrimeaSOS volunteer Maryna Martynenko